History of Barrington Municipal High School

The opening material of this following history
is taken from "The Baron 1983", 25th Anniversary of BMHS Yearbook.

The Opening

The $300 000 Barrington Municipal High School was officially
opened by the Honourable Malcolm S. Leonard, Minister of Education, during
special ceremonies held in the school gymnasium Friday September 19, 1958
at 8:00 pm.

The School had an enrollment of 365 students and served an area bounded
by Clyde River on the east to Wood's Harbour on the west, and Cape Sable
Island and Baccaro on the south.

About 500 parents and ratepayers attended the opening ceremonies.
Among the special guests were Felton Legere, Member of Parliament for Shelburne
- Yarmouth - Clare and James Harding, M.L.A. for Shelburne. The school
chorus under the direction of Miss MacNab, music teacher, entertained the
gathering.

The school's facilities included an auditorium-gymnasium, 78 ft.
by 55 ft., capable of seating six hundred people. A fine stage with adjoining
dressing rooms was also provided. Science laboratories were complete with
work tables with water, electric outlets and propane gas jets. The Domestic
Science laboratory equipment consisted of three electric ranges, washing
machine, refrigerator, two sewing machines, other small appliances and
counter area. Classrooms were equipped with single pupil desks of a modern
design. Seven buses operated to and from the school. Four of the
buses had a capacity of forty-eight passengers each, two of the buses had
a capacity for fifty-four, and one of the buses a capacity of sixty-six
passengers.

Additions

Barrington Municipal High School has expanded over the years to meet
the changing needs and size of the student population.

In 1961 four classrooms were added to the west and of the school,
as well as a balcony and shower rooms in the gymnasium.

In 1964 the Annex was built to provide seven more classrooms for
the ever-increasing number of students.

The latest addition to the school was made in 1969. The "new school"
consisted of fifteen classrooms, plus Biology, Chemistry, Industrial Arts,
Home Economics, and Commercial Laboratories, administrative offices, another
gymnasium, library, an audio visual room, and staff room.

The addition was officially opened on Monday December 15, 1969.

Today

Today Barrington Municipal High School has a student enrolment of over
700 students in grades 7 to 12. Approximately 100 students graduate
from grade 12 each year. The students and staff of Barrington Municipal
High feel the school is one of the most progressive in Nova Scotia.

In the fall of 2001, the province announced BMHS as one of a group
of schools listed for major renovations. This was followed
in spring of 2003 by an announcement that the school would be replaced,
scheduled to open in the fall of 2005. While planning went on and
construction was awaited, the junior high section of the school was closed
and boarded up, considered unsuitable for occupation. The junior
high wing was the original school from 1958, as pictured at the top of this
page. Six portable classrooms were installed in the courtyard between
the junior high and the senior wing behind it, and the grade seven classes
were held back in their elementary schools for two years, dropping our
population on site to about 550.

After the usual delays in site selection and construction, the new
school opened for excited staff and students on the Easter weekend of April
2006. There was some sadness in leaving the old building and its
history behind, but it had become unsuitable and too expensive to upgrade.
The older site, as is the practice, will be turned over to the Municipality.